Seoul , South Korea -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- Police in South Korea have detained a man suspected of abducting a 7-year-old girl from her home and raping her , local police officials said Friday .

The parents of the girl realized she was missing at 7 a.m. Thursday and looked for her before reporting it to the police half an hour later in Naju , a city in the southwestern province of South Jeolla , said Kim Il-kyu , head of the criminal investigation department in Naju .

The city 's police officers called for backup and 160 personnel from nearby police stations joined the search for the girl , he said .

The girl was found at 12:55 p.m. Thursday on a sidewalk near a river in the city , according to Kim . She was naked , wrapped in a blanket and showed signs of having been raped , he said . She underwent an operation for organ damage , Kim added .

According to the police , the girl had been sleeping in the living room of her home with her mother and three siblings . She told officers she was taken by a man she did n't know . She was due to be questioned by a social worker on Friday .

Body fluid samples have been taken to the Criminal Investigation Laboratory , according to Kim .

The police detained a suspect on Friday and took him to the police station in Naju for questioning , said two police officers with knowledge of the case who declined to be identified because they were not authorized to speak publicly on the matter .

As public outrage over the case grew , President Lee Myung-bak made an unscheduled visit to the National Police Agency in Seoul on Friday .

According to CNN affiliate YTN , Lee apologized for the authorities ' failure to prevent the attack from taking place .

`` The general public is extremely concerned about the lack of public order , '' he said . `` The police should make every effort to restore public order . ''

South Koreans responded with anger on social media to news reports about the case .

`` The offender should get the highest punishment possible , '' a person using the name Yeonbang1996 said on Twitter . Others called specifically for the attacker to be castrated .

A law authorizing the use of chemical castration , a drug treatment intended to suppress sexual impulses , on some sex offenders came into effect in South Korea last year .

People over the age of 19 who have sexually offended against children under the age of 16 and are diagnosed with pedophilia can be subject to the treatment , according to the Justice Ministry .

Journalist Yoonjung Seo contributed to this report .

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The girl is taken from her home while her family is sleeping , the police say

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She is later found near a river and shows signs of having been raped

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A suspect has been detained , police officials say

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The South Korean president calls on the police to restore public order